Racing’s uneasy relationship with the cinema could be poised for another major chapter amid renewed reports that Frankel’s extraordinary unbeaten career and his association with Sir Henry Cecil may receive the big-screen treatment, although the prospect has also revived debate over which of the sport’s great stories Hollywood should tell next. Frankel offers material extending far beyond a simple catalogue of victories: 14 starts produced 14 wins, including ten at Gr1 level, while his official rating of 140 and performances such as his 11-length Queen Anne Stakes demolition established him among the defining thoroughbreds of the modern era. Yet the emotional dimension of the story rests just as strongly with Cecil, the revered trainer who had returned from a difficult period professionally and was seriously ill during the later stages of Frankel’s career. That combination of an exceptional horse and a compelling human narrative is precisely what can transform racing from sporting biography into broader drama. Writing in racingpost.com, Chris Cook noted that reader Andrew Evzona had another candidate altogether, questioning why Frankel should reach the cinema before Arkle. The discussion inevitably recalls Seabiscuit, released more than two decades ago and nominated for seven Academy Awards, whose appeal stretched beyond racing because the horse’s struggles and resurgence were framed against Depression-era America. By comparison, the later Secretariat film had magnificent equine material but followed a more conventional champion’s narrative, illustrating the difficulty of translating greatness alone into compelling cinema. Arkle presents possibilities of a different kind. His emergence under Tom Dreaper could be framed through the Anglo-Irish rivalry with Fulke Walwyn and mighty Mill House, who defeated Arkle in the 1963 Hennessy before the Irish star turned the tables in the following year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup and began establishing his legend. Another storyline lies within Dreaper’s own stable, where Arkle shared quarters with the formidable Flyingbolt. The tantalising question of which was superior was never conclusively answered, despite the pair once schooling together, while Flyingbolt’s subsequent illness denied racing the prospect of a definitive confrontation. Red Rum offers yet another ready-made screenplay through his extraordinary Grand National sequence, combining early triumph, later defeats and the celebrated final victory of 1977. Frankel nevertheless possesses something particularly suited to cinema: perfection on the racecourse intertwined with Cecil’s final great chapter. Whether the reported project reaches production remains uncertain, but racing hardly lacks the characters, rivalry, jeopardy and emotion required to fill a screen.
NEWSunday Spotlight Returns To Victoria
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026
A rare Sunday Group 1 program will give Victorian racing a different complexion this weekend when the Manikato Stakes headlines a substantial Caulfield card, marking the first time in four years that the state has staged elite-level racing on a Sunday. The scheduling is a consequence of Moonee Valley being unavailable and the need to avoid a collision with Saturday’s AFL Grand Final, but the unusual slot also revives a format that has produced some memorable spring performances. As racing.com noted in outlining the weekend agenda, Sunday Group 1 racing in Victoria has been uncommon in recent seasons, although its relatively brief modern history includes several striking results. Black Heart Bart produced one of the great upsets when winning the 2019 Underwood Stakes at $101 while Alligator Blood landed the same race in 2022 at $8 after I’m Thunderstruck and Zaaki had dominated betting. Hartnell’s emphatic 2016 Turnbull Stakes success at Flemington was another Sunday highlight, the Godolphin gelding defeating subsequent Caulfield Cup heroine Jameka. This weekend’s supporting program gives the meeting significance well beyond the Manikato itself. The Gr2 Stutt Stakes over 1600 metres remains an established stepping stone towards the Caulfield Guineas, a pathway demonstrated as recently as 2023 when Griff completed the double despite starting at $31 in the Guineas. Pride Of Jenni supplies another major attraction in the Gr2 Feehan Stakes over 1600 metres as she attempts to win the race for a third consecutive year, although this time the assignment comes at Caulfield rather than Moonee Valley. The venue itself is hardly unfamiliar territory, with Pride Of Jenni having produced one of her most celebrated front-running displays there when collecting the $2 million All-Star Mile. The Gr3 JRA Cup over 2040 metres also assumes additional importance after being moved from its customary Cox Plate-eve position, particularly for horses attempting to satisfy the Caulfield Cup’s first ballot clause. Away from Caulfield, Mornington takes its traditional AFL Grand Final-day position on Saturday, where the Listed Ansett Classic over 2400 metres has developed an impressive record as a spring staying guide: Whisky On The Hill, Herman Hesse, Saracen Knight and Lunar Flare are among recent winners who subsequently collected another feature staying prize during the same spring. It will be a big weekend of sport in Australia: the Gr1 Golden Rose meeting in Sydney overlaps with the AFL Grand Final, followed by Sunday's Manikato meeting and then the Wallabies versus the Springboks in Perth.
NEWProverb Stamps Breeders’ Plate Passport
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026
An impressive change of gear rather than a polished beginning was the feature of Proverb’s first official public examination at Randwick, with the expensive Written Tycoon colt giving trainer Michael Freedman and syndicator James Harron another potential Breeders’ Plate contender. The $700,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase won the opening 850-metre two-year-old trial on the Kensington circuit in 50.25 seconds, overcoming an awkward beginning before Tim Clark allowed him to settle behind the speed and produce his strongest work when clear room appeared late. Proverb swept through to defeat Chris Waller’s Home Affairs colt Internal Security by a narrow margin, with Peter Snowden’s Capitalist colt Ocean Veil third, and the manner of the performance was arguably more instructive than the winning margin. Rather than enjoying an uncomplicated experience in front, the youngster was required to cope with traffic, settle and then accelerate, valuable lessons should connections elect to send him to the Gr3 Breeders’ Plate over 1000 metres at Randwick. According to punters.com.au, Freedman and Harron are considering precisely that route, one carrying an obvious resonance after the pair combined to win last season’s Breeders’ Plate with Incognito. Proverb remains inexperienced, but his pedigree and price ensured he arrived at the official juvenile trials with considerable expectations. By champion stallion Written Tycoon, he is the second foal of imported No Nay Never mare Shines Her Light and was offered by Yulong before being secured by the James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership and Tony Fung Colts. Shines Her Light is a half-sister to Gr1 winner Ventura Storm, whose Australian career included victory in the Gr2 Moonee Valley Cup, providing Proverb with an intriguing blend of precocious speed and deeper-distance quality on the maternal side. His trial was not the fastest of Monday morning – several later heats were run considerably quicker as conditions improved – but raw time told only part of the story. Proverb was asked to solve a problem after his beginning, remained composed behind horses and responded sharply when Clark found daylight, attributes likely to prove valuable when the pressure increases on race day. The early juvenile program offers little time for prolonged education, with the Breeders’ Plate and its fillies’ counterpart, the Gr3 Gimcrack Stakes, rapidly approaching, and Freedman appears to have several promising youngsters emerging at the right time. For Proverb, the immediate question is simply whether he absorbs the experience and progresses sufficiently to take his place on Epsom Day. His first official trial supplied no guarantee of what lies ahead, but it did provide Harron and Freedman with an encouraging opening answer.
$700,000 secured Proverb at the Gold Coast (pic: magicmillions.com.au)
NEWBargain Buy Chases Home-Town Prize
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026
A modest $4,500 outlay could deliver one of the most satisfying victories of Troy Pascoe’s training career when progressive three-year-old High Prophet tackles Saturday’s $100,000 Toowoomba Guineas over 1200 metres on his home circuit. Bought by Pascoe from the Lucas Bloodstock draft at the 2025 Magic Millions Capricornia Yearling Sale, the gelding has already made his purchase price look remarkably inexpensive, building a record of two wins and a placing from his first three appearances and heading into the Guineas after announcing himself in metropolitan company at Doomben. That latest performance was particularly encouraging, High Prophet carrying 54.5 kilograms under Jake Bayliss and defeating Huggie by 1.3 lengths over 1110 metres on September 12 after settling off the early speed. He started at $8 and stopped the clock at 1:04.48, with Iransofar another 0.2 lengths away in third, providing Pascoe with compelling evidence that his inexpensive acquisition belongs in stronger company. The gelding’s rise is central to a classic racing story highlighted by racenet.com.au: a relatively cheap yearling attempting to turn a small initial investment into victory in a valuable feature on the trainer’s own doorstep. High Prophet is by Caulfield Guineas winner Divine Prophet from the High Chaparral mare High Adversity, and his early record suggests the price attached to him in the sales ring has had little relationship to his capacity on the track. His education began with a Toowoomba Inner Track barrier trial in March, when he finished third over 925 metres, before quickly establishing a race record that now reads 1-3-1. The Doomben victory also demonstrated a degree of versatility, with High Prophet able to settle behind runners before finishing strongly rather than requiring an uncontested position near the lead. Saturday presents another examination, with a dozen horses nominated for the Toowoomba Guineas, including Apostle, Cause She Can, Iransofar, Magritte, O’Reillys Flight, Swift Dragon, Toscanella and Watchman. For Pascoe, however, the appeal goes considerably deeper than the prizemoney. Based at Newtown and long associated with racing on the Darling Downs, he learned his craft under legendary Toowoomba horseman Jim Atkins, serving as his foreman after arriving in the city determined to work for the Hall of Fame trainer. A feature victory at Clifford Park with a gelding purchased for little more than loose change by modern yearling-sale standards would therefore carry a particularly appropriate sense of homecoming. High Prophet is by Champion Sire Proisir's Gr1 Caulfield Guines-winning full-brother Divine Prophet.
NEWLittle Paradise Sets HKJC Mile Course
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026
A more mature and settled version of one of Hong Kong’s most exciting gallopers will begin a campaign aimed squarely at December’s Hong Kong Mile when Little Paradise resumes in Sunday’s HK$4.2 million Gr3 Celebration Cup over 1400 metres at Sha Tin. Trainer Jimmy Ting believes the five-year-old has benefited both mentally and physically from his break after a four-year-old season in which flashes of exceptional ability were occasionally accompanied by difficult passages and questions over his optimum distance. Little Paradise finished that campaign by emphatically answering at least one of those questions, defeating established Gr1 performer Galaxy Patch in the Gr3 Premier Cup over Sunday’s course and distance in June to record his seventh victory from 13 starts. Earlier, the son of Toronado had produced perhaps his most striking performance when overcoming significant traffic problems to capture February’s Hong Kong Classic Mile, bursting through late after being held up from the 400 metres until near the 200 metres. His subsequent Classic campaign proved less rewarding, with an eighth behind Stormy Grove over 1800 metres before the Hong Kong Derby’s 2000 metres stretched his stamina beyond its most effective range. A return to the elite mile division then brought another luckless passage when 10th behind My Wish in the Gr1 Champions Mile. Ting told scmp.com that Little Paradise had enjoyed time at Conghua and in the paddock during his break, and while the gelding is not yet at his peak, his trainer believes two trials have brought him sufficiently forward for the opening phase of the season. Importantly, Ting also considers him calmer while his body weight remains around the level at which he performs best. Zac Purton takes the mount on Sunday after partnering Little Paradise when he was narrowly beaten in his latest dirt trial at Sha Tin, and the champion jockey will have the opportunity to assess where he sits ahead of the major mile lead-ups. Ting has mapped out a deliberately focused program, with the Gr2 Sha Tin Trophy over 1600 metres on October 19 and Gr2 BOCHK Private Wealth Jockey Club Mile on November 22 pencilled in before the Hong Kong Mile. The Celebration Cup will provide an immediate examination against accomplished opposition, with Hong Kong Derby winner Invincible Ibis joined by Helios Express, Galaxy Patch, Patch Of Theta, Copartner Prance, Stormy Grove, Lucky With You and Soleil Fighter. Little Paradise has already demonstrated the acceleration required to trouble high-class rivals; the task now is to convert that talent into sustained performance at the highest level.
NEWCosmic One Extends Winning Sequence
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026
Four consecutive victories have carried Cosmic One from promising South Australian galloper to a horse whose trainer Travis Doudle is now prepared to test him away from home during the carnival, with the gelding again proving too strong at Morphettville despite being burdened with 61 kilograms. Ben Price was entrusted with navigating the latest assignment and justified Doudle’s confidence, producing a composed ride from an outside barrier as Cosmic One maintained his unbeaten sequence with another authoritative performance. Doudle described the horse as talented and emphasised that his work leading into the race had been faultless, while the trainer was unconcerned by the wide draw and credited Price with executing the task superbly. The intention now is to travel with Cosmic One during the carnival, a significant progression for a horse whose four-race winning streak has earned the opportunity to discover where his ceiling lies. His victory formed the headline act of a varied Morphettville Parks program examined by racingsa.com.au, but several other emerging gallopers also strengthened their future prospects. Andrew Gluyas-trained four-year-old Dirty Old Town returned to winning form at her second appearance of the preparation, defeating the talented Shady Thinker and showing the improvement Gluyas had hoped to see after her spell. She had risen quickly through the grades during her previous campaign, stringing together three consecutive victories before finishing third in the Listed Morphettville Guineas, and her latest performance suggested another step through the ranks may be within reach. Gluyas believes the daughter of Dirty Work has furnished further, although her undemonstrative trackwork makes her difficult to assess away from race day. Former Queensland filly Diversity also made an immediate impression for Jess Tzaferis, winning first-up under Jacob Opperman and prompting her trainer to identify longer-term ambitions. Tzaferis regards the mare as a progressive type capable of developing into a useful miler, with next year’s Murray Bridge Cup floated as a possible target, while the victory also delivered an important result for her MyRacehorse ownership group. Interstate stables enjoyed their share of the afternoon as well. Jason Warren and Todd Pannell combined with Chicago Blues in the opener, Tennessee Spirit provided Toby Lake with his first metropolitan training success when scoring by 2.74 lengths under Jordyn Weatherley, the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Giggenbach prevailed over 1950 metres and Matt Jenkins prepared Prestige Zerprise to win under Kayla Crowther. Yet Cosmic One supplied the defining performance, conceding weight without surrendering his winning habit and giving Doudle every reason to seek stronger company beyond South Australia.
NEWJenni Chasing Historic Feehan Treble
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026
Age appears to have done remarkably little to diminish one of Australian racing’s most compelling performers, with Pride Of Jenni preparing to launch what could be the final spring campaign of her career by attempting an unprecedented personal hat-trick in Sunday’s Gr2 Feehan Stakes over 1600 metres at Caulfield. Now nine and with 48 starts behind her, the four-time Gr1 winner has given Ciaron Maher’s team every indication that the qualities which transformed her into one of the country’s most spectacular front-runners remain intact. Her preparation has included two Cranbourne jumpouts, beginning with a fourth behind Jigsaw over 800 metres on August 31 before she dominated a 1200-metre heat on September 14. Maher’s national assistant trainer Jack Turnbull told racingnews.co.nz that the latter may have been the finest jumpout the stable has seen from the mare and described her as being in an exceptionally good place heading into her return. There has also been a notable evolution in her temperament. Once fierce in her work and considerably more demanding to train, Pride Of Jenni has mellowed with maturity, understands what is required of her and is consequently easier for the stable to manage, although none of that appears to have blunted the competitive intensity that has defined her career. Sunday provides an appropriately familiar starting point. She defeated Mr Brightside to capture the Feehan in 2024 before returning to win the race again in 2025, when Treasurethe Moment finished second, and her old rival could again be waiting at Caulfield provided Lindsay Park is satisfied the surface is not too firm. The venue represents the major difference this year, with the Feehan transferred from its traditional Moonee Valley home while that course is unavailable. Pride Of Jenni nevertheless has ample evidence of her effectiveness at Caulfield, most memorably through her devastating front-running All-Star Mile victory there in 2024. Beyond Sunday, another familiar prize provides the principal spring objective. The Gr1 Empire Rose Stakes over 1600 metres at Flemington on October 31 is again firmly in the picture after Pride Of Jenni captured the race in both 2023 and 2025, while earlier planning had left connections with several other elite-level options depending upon her performances. There is, however, an unavoidable poignancy accompanying this preparation. Turnbull acknowledged that the stable does not know how many appearances remain before retirement and intends to appreciate each one. After more than $12 million in earnings and a career built around audacious performances rather than longevity alone, Pride Of Jenni has already travelled far beyond ordinary expectations. A third Feehan would provide another fitting distinction, but for those closest to her, this spring is increasingly about enjoying the remarkable mare while she is still there to be enjoyed.
A Feehan treble is possible for Pride of Jenni (pic: Mark Gatt)
Riddell Begins Her Sydney Chapter
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026
A three-month Sydney placement will give New Zealand's champion apprentice Amber Riddell an opportunity to test herself in one of racing's most demanding jurisdictions while deciding whether Australia could become a more permanent base. The 24-year-old has joined the Bjorn Baker stable on loan and arrives with both a premiership title and an unusual depth of racing heritage behind her. Her connection with the Baker family extends well beyond convenience: father Jonathan Riddell was apprenticed to Bjorn Baker's father, Murray, while mother Trina, herself a former jockey and trainer, also worked for the Bakers in New Zealand. Riddell therefore enters the stable with longstanding family ties, but she is under no illusions about the scale of the professional challenge ahead. Speaking to racingnsw.com.au, she said the initial intention was to settle into Sydney racing gradually before attempting to capitalise upon her 3kg metropolitan claim, with a longer stay possible if the experience proves successful. Her arrival follows a breakthrough season in New Zealand in which she rode 80 winners, finished third in the national jockeys' premiership and secured the apprentices' title after an extraordinary workload of 831 rides, more than any other rider in the country. Her first stakes victory also arrived during the campaign aboard Better Shared in the Gore Guineas. The pathway into racing was not entirely conventional despite her family background. Riddell first completed a Sports Science degree before committing fully to an apprenticeship with Kevin Myers, reasoning that the qualification would provide both practical knowledge around fitness and nutrition and an alternative career should riding not work out. Amateur race appearances began in 2022 while she was still studying, but once university was completed the pursuit of a professional riding career accelerated quickly. She is not entirely unfamiliar with Australian conditions, having represented New Zealand in the national apprentice series at Eagle Farm in April, when she also spent time riding trackwork for Kelly Schweida and Tony Gollan. A close second aboard the Ciaron Maher-trained Berezka provided further encouragement and strengthened her desire to return. Leaving New Zealand while riding strongly — she had already accumulated nine winners early in the new season — required sacrificing established opportunities, but Riddell believes exposure to Sydney's deeper riding ranks will improve her craft. With Baker providing an established metropolitan platform and the apprentice allowance creating an obvious point of attraction for owners and trainers, the coming months amount to considerably more than an educational visit. They are an audition for the next phase of a career already progressing with impressive speed.
Star kiwi apprentice Amber Riddell (pic: Racing Queensland)
Peters Investments Reaping Maurice Rewards
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026
A productive association with Japanese shuttler Maurice continues to strengthen for Bob and Sandra Peters, whose familiar cerise and white colours are being carried by an increasingly influential group of his progeny in Western Australia. The latest evidence arrived at Belmont when Streamlined resumed with an authoritative two-length victory over 1400m, providing another timely advertisement for the Arrowfield Stud stallion only days before fellow Peters homebred Cosmic Crusader tackled the G1 Underwood Stakes at Caulfield. Streamlined's performance contained considerably more merit than the bare margin suggests. Caught three wide without cover under William Pike, the four-year-old nevertheless relaxed sufficiently before accelerating away from La Excellence and Acta Non Verba, convincing his rider that there should be further progression available as he works through the grades. According to tbwa.net.au, the result formed the second leg of another successful afternoon for the Peters-Pike-Michael Grantham combination, following Treasured Legacy's breakthrough maiden victory earlier on the programme. Streamlined is bred on a particularly attractive Peters Investments foundation, being by Maurice from the Al Maher mare Silverstream, herself a four-time black-type winner whose finest success came in the G2 Lee-Steere Stakes over 1400m in 2017. The family continues to be developed extensively around Maurice: Silverstream's unraced three-year-old daughter Silverlake, also by the Japanese stallion, recently finished runner-up to stablemate Arcadia Park in a Lark Hill barrier trial, while the mare has a yearling Maurice filly and a current filly foal by Pride Of Dubai. Cosmic Crusader provides the more advanced demonstration of what the mating can produce, having progressed sufficiently to start favourite for the Underwood over 1800m and thereby giving Peters Investments representation at the highest level with another homebred son of Maurice. The Belmont double was initiated by Treasured Legacy, a three-year-old daughter of Ole Kirk and the Dundeel mare Prized Miss, who had been beaten as favourite on debut at Bunbury but overcame traffic problems second-up to break through over 1200m. Pike was held up after straightening before finding a narrow opening approaching the final 150m, where the filly showed enough determination to force her way through despite contact with Cachaca and Unimando. Prized Miss herself won on debut at Bunbury and belongs to the family of G3 Baillieu Handicap winner Irukandji, while her younger stock includes another Ole Kirk filly. Yet the most intriguing thread is the sustained investment in Maurice blood, with Streamlined's latest display suggesting the Peters breeding programme may have uncovered another progressive runner capable of following a path towards far stronger company.
USA's Belmont Reinvented for a New Era
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026
More than three years after racing disappeared from one of America's most historic venues, Belmont Park has reopened following a US$555 million transformation designed not simply to rebuild a racecourse but to reconsider how the sport presents itself to a changing audience. The huge old grandstand, synonymous with the sweeping scale of Belmont for generations, has been replaced by a substantially smaller five-storey structure as the New York Racing Association consolidates downstate racing at one modern complex following the closure of Aqueduct. A US$455 million state loan combined with US$100 million from NYRA funded the redevelopment, which has produced rebuilt racing surfaces, expanded public spaces, a larger paddock and facilities intended to operate beyond traditional raceday use. Reporting from opening weekend, theguardian.com framed the redevelopment as a major experiment in whether American racing can trade sheer physical scale for a more flexible, destination-driven model. The new grandstand occupies approximately 300,000 square feet compared with roughly 1.25 million square feet previously, while permanent indoor capacity has been greatly reduced. Larger crowds can nevertheless be accommodated for major occasions through temporary seating and use of the infield, with around 50,000 spectators possible for the Belmont Stakes. The racing infrastructure has also been fundamentally reworked. Alongside the dirt course and two turf tracks sits a new one-mile Tapeta surface intended to facilitate winter racing and allow the former Belmont-Aqueduct calendar to operate from a single location. The first meeting back carried appropriate international theatre, with Japanese superstar Forever Young winning the US$1 million G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup by 3.25 lengths before a sold-out crowd of around 6,000, pushing his earnings beyond US$32 million and providing an immediate showcase for the rebuilt venue. The broader challenge extends far beyond one spectacular afternoon. American racing now competes with casinos, lotteries, mobile wagering and sports betting for both attention and gambling expenditure, while dozens of tracks have closed since the turn of the century. Belmont's answer is to become part sporting venue, part entertainment precinct and part premium hospitality destination, supported by neighbouring UBS Arena and surrounding retail development. The 2026 fall meeting comprises 46 days and 72 stakes worth US$17.7 million, before the Belmont Stakes returns in 2027 and the Breeders' Cup is staged in New York for the first time since 2005. Whether the sleek new Belmont can retain racing's traditional followers while attracting younger patrons remains its defining test, but after 121 years of history the famous Long Island venue has begun perhaps its most ambitious reinvention yet.
Rouget Granted Prized Arc Farewell
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026
An unexpected judicial reprieve has created the possibility of a poignant final chapter to Jean-Claude Rouget's extraordinary 48-year training career, with Arrow Eagle now able to represent the French master in the Gr1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on October 4. Rouget's training operation had been scheduled to be wound up before Europe's most celebrated middle-distance contest, but the Commercial Tribunal in Pau has delayed its deliberations until October 6, two days after the Arc, effectively granting the 73-year-old one final opportunity to add another major prize to a record already containing more than 7,000 victories. The timing could hardly be more evocative. As reported by racingpost.com, Arrow Eagle is a half-brother to Rouget's unbeaten 2023 Arc winner Ace Impact and acquitted himself with considerable credit in the race last year, outrunning odds of 105-1 to finish sixth behind Daryz. He subsequently established his own Group 1 credentials by winning the Prix Royal-Oak over an extended 3000m, although bookmakers again regard him as a substantial outsider for the Arc. Rouget's career has encompassed two victories in the Arc, 14 French Classics, successes at Royal Ascot, two Champion Stakes, a Coral-Eclipse and an Irish Champion Stakes, transforming a provincial operation into one of European racing's enduring powerhouses. Recent seasons have been more difficult, with ill health and a significant reduction in stable numbers contributing to the decision to bring the career to an end, while the emotional impact upon both Rouget and his long-serving staff has been increasingly evident. A recent Toulouse victory by Erala left Rouget and jockey Jean-Bernard Eyquem visibly moved, reflecting the approaching conclusion of relationships built across decades. Arrow Eagle's regular partner Cristian Demuro will not be available for the Arc after committing to Japanese-trained Admire Terra, leaving Eyquem and Ioritz Mendizabal among the logical possibilities for the ride. Both have longstanding associations with Rouget and have previously partnered Arrow Eagle, adding another layer of familiarity should either receive the call. Trainer Patrick Olave Valdivieso had been prepared to take over responsibility for Arrow Eagle during the final approach to Longchamp had Rouget's operation been closed as originally expected, but the tribunal's delay has rendered that contingency unnecessary. There is, of course, no guarantee racing will supply the romantic conclusion such a career invites. Yet simply having Arrow Eagle walk into the Longchamp paddock carrying Rouget's name ensures one of France's greatest modern training careers can conclude on a stage commensurate with everything that preceded it.
Blind Raise On Guineas Path
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026
Few three-year-olds have advanced their spring credentials quite as efficiently as the New Zealand-bred Blind Raise, whose emphatic Caulfield Guineas Prelude success has confirmed a direct route into next month’s G1 Caulfield Guineas at the same circuit. The Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young-trained gelding has now won four of his five starts and, importantly for connections contemplating much bigger assignments, continues to demonstrate the tactical versatility to make his own luck near the speed. Speaking to racingnews.co.nz, Busuttin confirmed that the intention had always been to reach the Caulfield Guineas third-up, with Blind Raise’s ability to settle prominently regarded as a significant asset. His spring began with victory in the Listed McKenzie Stakes over 1200m at Sandown before he stepped up again in the G3 Caulfield Guineas Prelude, where the performance carried additional merit because of the work required to secure his position early. Busuttin noted the gelding had to exert himself climbing from the 1600m start towards the 1400m before eventually getting across, yet he was still able to put the race away without being subjected to a hard ride late. Pedigree offers further encouragement as the distances increase. Blind Raise is by Rich Hill Stud’s Ace High, winner of the G1 Spring Champion Stakes over 2000m and G1 VRC Derby over 2500m, while his granddam is the outstanding Seachange, a seven-time Group 1 winner and dual New Zealand Horse of the Year whose brilliance was principally displayed between 1200m and 1600m. That blend of stamina and high-class speed has Busuttin optimistic the gelding possesses rather more versatility than his sire may sometimes be credited with. Bred by The Oaks Stud, Blind Raise was secured by Busuttin Young Racing for NZ$70,000 from the Book 1 draft at Karaka in 2025 and has already earned A$440,475, making him a striking advertisement for finding quality without entering the upper reaches of the yearling market. The G1 Cox Plate at Flemington on October 24 remains among his nominations, although connections are treating that as a possibility rather than an immediate commitment. A strong Caulfield Guineas performance will determine whether that ambitious second target becomes reality, but for now the immediate objective is clear: arrive at Caulfield on October 10 with a lightly raced, progressive three-year-old whose record says he has earned his place among the serious Guineas contenders.
Connections Announce Leica Lucy Retirement
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026
One of New Zealand’s most accomplished fillies of recent seasons has run her last race, with connections calling time on Leica Lucy’s career after an unsuccessful attempt to overcome a fetlock problem that compromised her return to competition. Bred by Peter and Heather Crofskey, the daughter of Derryn developed rapidly under New Plymouth trainer Robbie Patterson, winning six of seven starts during a remarkable three-year-old campaign that culminated in the Gr1 New Zealand Oaks over 2400m. Along the way she assembled an imposing sequence through the G3 Eulogy Stakes, G3 Desert Gold Stakes, G2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic and G2 Lowland Stakes, establishing herself as the dominant staying filly of her generation. A share was subsequently sold to prominent Australian owner Ozzie Kheir and, following her New Zealand Oaks triumph, Leica Lucy joined Chris Waller in Sydney. As detailed by racing.com, she immediately showed she belonged at the highest level in Australia, finishing fourth in the Gr1 Australian Oaks before returning the following spring to place in the G1 Toorak Handicap and finish runner-up to Pride Of Jenni in the G1 Empire Rose Stakes. Those performances hinted that an Australian Group 1 breakthrough remained within reach, but four unplaced autumn runs were followed by surgery to remove bone chips from a fetlock. Two recent trials failed to provide the response connections had hoped for, with Heather Crofskey observing that the mare was not striding freely and concluding that the operation had not solved the underlying problem. Retirement was therefore chosen rather than asking Leica Lucy to race below the standard she had established. Kheir and his fellow shareholders will retain her for breeding, while the Crofskeys have sold their remaining interest to the ownership group. Home Affairs has already been mentioned as a possible first mating. Leica Lucy retires as a daughter of the Sir Percy mare Dynamite Lucy, herself from a family that includes Gr2 performer Endowment and stakes performer Airlie House, leaving the mare with both an elite racing record and considerable residual broodmare value. For the Crofskeys, however, the significance is more personal than commercial. The New Zealand Oaks remains the defining memory of a campaign in which their homebred filly repeatedly displayed toughness, tractability and a powerful finishing effort, providing them with an experience they had never expected when she first entered Patterson’s stable. Her Australian Group 1 victory may have remained unrealised, but a New Zealand Oaks crown and repeated elite-level performances ensure Leica Lucy leaves racing with her reputation firmly established.
Gr1 Leica Lucy will head the the breeding barn (pic: Race Images Peter Rubery)
Done Warns Betting Shops Could Vanish
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026
Britain’s betting-shop landscape could disappear altogether before the end of the decade according to Betfred founder Fred Done, who has issued a stark warning that further increases in gambling taxation may render traditional high-street bookmaking commercially unsustainable. With the UK government reportedly considering a rise in machine games duty from 20 per cent to 40 per cent, Done believes another significant tax increase would accelerate an already pronounced contraction across the retail betting sector and ultimately remove betting shops from British high streets by 2030. His concerns carry immediate practical implications for Betfred, which is already in the process of closing 132 shops following tax changes announced in last year’s budget. According to racingpost.com, Done has calculated that doubling machine games duty to 40 per cent could force the company to close a further 495 branches, with 2,575 jobs lost and approximately £67 million in tax revenue removed from government receipts. He rejects suggestions that bookmakers are exaggerating the potential consequences of further taxation, arguing that the combination of higher duties, salaries and operating costs will make an increasing proportion of the retail estate economically unviable. Done’s broader concern is that the disappearance of licensed betting shops would not eliminate gambling demand but instead encourage some customers to migrate towards unregulated black-market operators, where consumer safeguards, taxation and racing’s Levy contributions would be absent. That outcome would carry obvious ramifications for British racing, which continues to derive significant revenue from regulated betting activity. Betfred’s commercial relationship with the sport is substantial, including sponsorship of all five British Classics, although Done revealed that the uncertainty surrounding future taxation has meant an extension of that arrangement has yet to be agreed. His warning follows similar concerns from Entain chief executive Stella David, whose company owns Ladbrokes and Coral. David has estimated that a doubling of machine games duty could add around £100 million annually to the cost of operating Entain’s betting-shop estate. Modelling commissioned by the Betting & Gaming Council from EY has suggested a 40 per cent duty rate could contribute to as many as 1,470 shop closures and 15,900 job losses across the industry, while potentially producing a net reduction of approximately £120 million in Treasury revenue. Whether those projections ultimately prove accurate will depend on the final tax settings and operators’ responses, but the direction of travel is already clear: Britain’s once-ubiquitous betting-shop network is shrinking, and Done believes a further fiscal squeeze could turn gradual decline into wholesale disappearance within four years.
My Gladiola Bound For Manikato Stakes
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026
A breakthrough at racing’s highest level has encouraged connections of My Gladiola to press ahead rather than retreat, with the G1 Manikato Stakes now providing the next important step in a campaign that could ultimately carry the talented sprinter all the way to Royal Ascot. Trainer John McArdle has earmarked Sunday’s 1200m feature for the mare following her G1 Moir Stakes victory at Sandown earlier this month, a success that delivered both McArdle and regular rider Jamie Mott a particularly satisfying elite-level triumph together. My Gladiola had repeatedly advertised Group 1 ability before finally securing the prize, including gallant placings against high-class opposition, and her Moir performance vindicated the faith McArdle and her ownership group had maintained throughout a demanding programme. The latest report from punters.com.au confirms that the Manikato is now the immediate assignment, while Royal Ascot in 2027 remains a genuine longer-term objective rather than merely an attractive possibility. McArdle had already indicated after the Moir that the filly would have several further starts during the spring, followed by a deliberately light Australian autumn before travelling to England if all proceeded as planned. My Gladiola’s G1 success was achieved over 1000m on the Sandown Hillside course when she found the shortest route home and defeated Cavalry Girl and Natural Fling, providing Mott with an emotional victory aboard a horse with whom he has developed a strong association. The jockey had partnered her in 12 of her first 13 starts and described the success as particularly meaningful because of his long-standing relationship with McArdle, who has remained one of his strongest supporters. The Manikato’s rise to 1200m presents a different examination but one her connections have long believed is within her compass, and it offers another opportunity to strengthen a résumé already transformed by the Moir. Royal Ascot is still many months away and will depend upon My Gladiola progressing through the remainder of her Australian programme in suitable order, but the intention is unmistakable. Rather than treating the Moir as the summit, McArdle is using it as the platform from which to explore how far his stable star can travel, both competitively and geographically. A successful Manikato appearance would deepen the case for that international adventure and potentially send one of Australia’s emerging sprint mares towards England with genuine top-level credentials rather than merely ambition.
Beautifully credentialled mare My Gladiola (pic: inglis.com.au)
Correct Choice Back On Track
Tuesday, 22nd September 2026
A disappointing resumption was quickly consigned to history at Belmont when Correct Choice rediscovered his best form to claim the $100,000 TABtouch Stakes over 1600m and raise the possibility of a step into stakes company later in the Perth carnival. Michael Grantham had been left searching for answers after the six-year-old failed to make an impact when sixth behind Too Dardy in the Farnley Stakes over 1400m a fortnight earlier, but punters were prepared to forgive that performance, backing the son of So You Think from $12 into $7.50. Their judgement proved well founded. With Joey Azzopardi reunited with the gelding for the first time in more than two years, Correct Choice travelled substantially more comfortably than he had first-up and was kept within striking distance of outsider Royal Law while Azzopardi waited for an opportunity to move away from the rail. Reporting for thewest.com.au, Hayden King detailed how the rider angled into clear running approaching the home turn before Correct Choice surged to the front near the 200m, setting up a rematch with the in-form Too Dardy. This time the circumstances were markedly different. Too Dardy was burdened with 60kg and met Correct Choice five kilograms worse than in their Farnley Stakes clash, and although he fought strongly through the final stages, Correct Choice retained a short-neck advantage at the line. Liam Peters, representing owners Bob and Sandra Peters, said the performance was much closer to what the stable had anticipated first-up, particularly in the manner in which the gelding travelled through the middle stages rather than coming off the bridle prematurely. The victory has reopened options that appeared less obvious after the Farnley, including a possible elevation to Listed company if he continues to progress. Connections are also interested in eventually stretching him towards 2000m during the carnival, despite much of his earlier racing having been conducted between 1200m and 1400m. Azzopardi was similarly encouraged, believing Correct Choice should continue to improve as distances increase after receiving an economical run and responding strongly once clear. The gelding had previously given the jockey two rides during his maiden three-year-old season, producing a ninth and a third, making Saturday’s success a far more rewarding reunion. Earlier on the card apprentice Jefferson Tsang marked his first Saturday metropolitan programme with victories aboard Dawn Dancer and Let’s Talk, but the feature belonged to Correct Choice, whose immediate rehabilitation suggested the Farnley Stakes may prove an aberration rather than a true reflection of where his preparation is headed.
